WENHAM, Mass. – Led by junior defenseman Tyler Koppy (Attleboro, MA), the Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team held Gordon College without a goal for 32 minutes during a run of eight unanswered goals in a 12-6 season-opening non-conference win Saturday afternoon at the Brigham Athletic Complex.

Trailing 3-2 three minutes into the second quarter, the Warriors shut out the Scots (0-3) for 32 minutes, getting eight goals from six different players in a 26-minute run that vaulted Eastern into a 10-3 lead with 12 minutes left in the game in winning its season-opener (on the road) for the second straight season under second-year head coach Marc Graham.

Koppy led the defense by forcing six turnovers and picking up seven ground balls, helping Eastern to a +10 advantage in ground balls. Junior faceoff specialist Tyler Stein (Milford) also collected seven ground balls – also winning 14 of 19 faceoffs – while sophomore LSM Jack Lombardo (Berlin) scooped up five.

Now 9-0 all-time against Gordon – which was coming off consecutive one-goal losses this year – Eastern got four goals from senior attack Wes Thompson (Watertown) and a combined four goals and four assists from freshmen. Contributing their first career points were freshmen Shane Haggerty (Stamford), Jonathan Bernier (Somers), Ryan Stocks (Longmeadow, MA), T.J. Hebert (Berlin), Connor Greene (Shelton) and Mitchell Bagcal (South Windsor).

Haggerty had a goal and two assists, Bernie and Stocks one assist each, and Hebert, Greene and Bagcal a goal. In all, the Warriors got points from 11 different players, eight of them scoring at least one goal.

Thompson, junior attack Jake Liebowitz (Trumbull) and sophomore midfielder Garrett Lapham (Trumbull) combined to take 20 of the team's 35 shots, putting 14 of their shots on Gordon senior goalie Jay Gallipo and scoring seven goals.

Senior goalie Jack Farrell (Stratford) stopped ten shots and gave up only four goals in the first 52 minutes for the win, five of the saves coming in the middle two periods when Eastern outscored the hosts, 7-1. Freshman Riordan Mertens (Wethersfield) played the final eight minutes in his collegiate debut without making a save.

Eastern hosts Johnson & Wales March 8 at 1 p.m. at Rick McCarthy Field. Graham was credited with his first win at Eastern in a 10-7 victory over the host Wildcats in last year's season-opener.